Diseases affecting the heart are commonly classified under the term heart diseases. More particularly, cardiovascular diseases refer to the class of heart diseases that involve the heart and the blood vessels (arteries and veins). One type of cardiovascular diseases is atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a syndrome affecting arterial blood vessels which carry oxygen-rich blood to the heart and other parts of the body. It concerns the process in which deposits of fatty substances, cholesterol, cellular waste products, calcium and other substances build up in the inner lining of arteries and form hard substances called plaque. It usually affects large and medium-sized arteries.
Studies show that atherosclerosis is a slow, complex disease that typically starts in childhood and often progress when people become older. Over time, plaques can grow large enough to significantly reduce the blood's flow through arteries that produce a diminution of oxygen-rich blood to organs. Most of the damage occurs when plaques become fragile and break (rupture). Plaques that break cause blood clots blocking the blood flow or travelling to another part of the body. When a blood vessel that feeds the heart is blocked, it causes a heart attack. If it blocks a blood vessel that feeds the brain, it causes a stroke. And if blood supply to the arms or legs is reduced, it can cause difficulties in moving and eventually gangrene.
Certain conditions or habits may increase the events of developing atherosclerosis. These conditions (high blood cholesterol, especially LDL, smoking and exposure to tobacco smoke, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, physical inactivity . . . ) are known as risk factors. Changes in lifestyle and/or taking medicines to treat some particular risk factors can often reduce the genetic influences and prevent from atherosclerosis.
As mentioned above, atherosclerosis is a syndrome which affects people from childhood and progress with age. For centuries, medicine tries to find appropriate treatments to prevent and/or minimize the risks of atherosclerosis. Some attempts have been done with the compositions containing proanthocyanidins (such as Pycnogenol®).
WO 2007/084648 (Mars, Inc.) discloses compositions containing mixed 4 to 6 procyanidin dimers and certain derivatives thereof, for inducing vasodilation, treating or preventing diseases or disorders of the vascular system (e.g. hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke), and/or treating or preventing NO-responsive conditions or diseases. The disclosed compositions may be used as a pharmaceutical, a food, a food additive, or a dietary supplement. The composition may optionally contain an additional therapeutic or beneficial-to-health agent, or may be administered in combination with another therapeutic or beneficial-to-health agent.
Abascal K et al. “Botanicals for chronic venous insufficiency” ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES, Vol. 13, No 6, December 2007, pp 304-311; also discloses botanicals that are useful as adjunctive therapy for the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). Botanicals used include Ruscus aculeatus, horse chestnut seed, Centella asiatica, Vitis vinifera and oligomeric proanthocyanidins such as Pycnogenol®.
Ramelet A et al. “Veno-active drugs in the management of chronic venous disease. An international consensus statement: Current medical position, prospective views and final resolution” CLINICAL HEMORHEOLOGY AND MICROCIRCULATION, Vol. 33, N° 4, 2005, pp 309-319; discloses veno-active drugs (VAD) having effects on edema and symptoms related to chronic venous disease (CVD) especially venous pain. This review has classified various VAD and the level of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) of each drug has been determined Pycnogenol® and Centella asiatica are been classified under Grade C as showing less well demonstrated effects on chronic venous disease.
WO 2007/133981 (RATH Matthias et al.) discloses biochemical compositions effective in the prevention and treatment resulting from the inhibition of an atherogenic process, comprising ascorbic acid, lysine, magnesium, cysteine, pyridoxine HCL, riboflavin, folic acid, cyanocobalamin vitamin B12, S-Adenosyi-L-Methionine, choline bitartrafe, copper glycinate, epigalocatechin gallate, quercetin, asiatic acid, and Pycnogenol®. More precisely the disclosed compositions act on the growth of smooth muscle cell and the invasion of extracellular matrix by smooth muscle cell. The compositions may be administered orally, intravenously, or parenterally.
Other documents cite some possible associations of plant extract among big lists of compounds. For example EP 1 523 894 (Cognis Iberia S.L.) discloses a preparation containing extracts from the plant centella asiatica or the active component (component a). Plant extracts contained, include camellia sinensis, pinia silvestris, vitis vinifera, litchi chinensis, potentilla errecta and their mixtures. Components a and b or c are in the mass ratio 90:10 to 10:90. The preparation is encapsulated.
JP 2002 238497 A (Fankeru KK), XP002578473, discloses food compositions for beautifying purposes, especially the skin, that are prepared by including collagen and Centella asiatica, and/or oceanic deep layer water and optionally amino sugars, ceramides and polyphenols. The agents enhance metabolism of the skin to accelerate the synthesis of collagen and preventing it from deteriorating to keep freshness.
KR 100 846 292 B1 (Intaglio INC), XP002578465, discloses a dispersion type non-aqueous cleansing balm composition for face washing, causes no skin irritation and provides refresh feeling after use. Said dispersion containing at least one polyvalent alcohol (40-75 weight %) chosen from polyalcohol, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, glycerin and butylene glycol as solvent, and cleaning agent (5-30 weight %) chosen from sodium cocoyl isethionate, sodium lauryltaurate, sodium laurylglutamate, hydrogenated castor oil, hydrogenated jojoba oil and hydrogenated olive oil. The dispersion further contains scrubbing agent (0.5-15 weight %) chosen from scrub reagent including powdered jojoba wax, apricot stone, grape seed and walnut skin, kaolin and porous zeolite, dispersing agent (01-5 weight %) chosen from poloxamer and hydroxypropylcellulose, and skin irritation-reducing material (001-5 weight %) chosen from carotenoid, astaxanthin, beta-carotene, lycopene, phylloxanthin, proanthocyanidin, flavonoid, riboflavin, vitamin, retinol, ascorbic acid, tocopherol, Centella asiatica, bisabolol, chamomile, Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch and soy isoflavone.
WO 03/080062 (Perrella Segre) discloses compounds for use in sclerotherapy treatment, venous insufficiency, circulation and microcirculation disorders consisting of Folic Acid (vitamin B9), Piridoxine (vitamin B6), Lipoic acid and six different plant extracts: Ginkgo Biloba, Garlic Andrographis, Horse Chestnut, Centella Asiatica, and Grape seeds. Sclerotherapy is a procedure used to treat blood vessels or blood vessel malformations (in particular veins) and also those of the lymphatic system. A medicine is injected into the vessels (i.e. veins), which makes them shrink. In conventional sclerotherapy, which is an obliterative procedure, a sclerosing solution is injected exclusively into pathological superficial veins. It is used for children and young adults with vascular or lymphatic malformations. In adults, sclerotherapy is often used to treat varicose veins and hemorrhoids. Another procedure, the so called three-dimensional regenerative sclerotherapy, concerns a regenerative, non-obliterative sclerosing solution which is used in the sclerotherapy of ectatic vessels in the lower limbs. This solution comes into contact with the entire network of superficial and perforating veins.
However there is still a need for an effective and safe composition for the treatment or the prevention of atherosclerosis and in particular atherosclerotic plaques, which therefore especially concerns arteries.